Crazy American at the Prison

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100:4

Those of you who know me, know I am a fan of sports (just about every sport) so when my first task yesterday morning was to go with Ted (staff member at BOH) and “fetch” the boys basketball team from Philippi (their township outside of Cape Town) and then take them to the prison to play basketball, I was stoked! First, because I would get to see Sisanda in Philippi - an amazing women of God, quite possibly the most joyful person I’ve ever met; second, because I would get to watch some competition; and third, because things were swinging into full gear with the kids returning to the Academy. I will confess, I was a little nervous about going into the prison, but when we arrived we were greeted with enthusiasm and then handed a program indicating this was an actual tournament and we were in for a good 4 hours of b-ball South African style. Upon entering the gym, I was assumed to be the coach and found myself being interviewed by a local newspaper reporter who then took pictures of Ted & I with the team (neither of us had a clue what was going on) and I had just met these boys 30 minutes prior so most of them didn’t even know my name or why I was with them.

If you’ve ever attended sporting event with me, you know I can be a bit vocal so I decided to do what I do best and be a fan. Armed with their names in my handy little notepad, I started cheering them on. I couldn’t pronounce their names to save my soul nor could I easily identify them without seeing their number - I’m certain I looked and sounded like a fool but I didn’t care… Odwa, Sandisile, Azolile, Nqabo, Sibusiso, Kwalele & Nathi had a cheerleader! They beat their first opponent (men’s team from the prison) by one point in the last minute and their enthusiasm was priceless! They lost a close game in the final to another Academy in the area, it was quite a thrill and the boys received a certificate for making it to the final! Click Here for a Picture of the Boys

Prayer Request: Give praise that these boys have the opportunity to get an education at Bridges Academy and that they get the thrill of competing, things you and I might take for granted.

Laughing together!

"...and a time to laugh" Ecclesiastes 3:4

I read a devotion the other morning on laughter, about how it makes us distinct from other species and when we laugh - especially at ourselves - we find ourselves on common ground with one another. These past four days have been full of laughter, I mean belly laughs, and often I am cause for the laughter - especially when I try to speak the few words I've learned in Xhosa (native language of most children here). I taught them to play a game on the basketball court where you are eliminated if you can't make a certain shot within a timeframe, inevitably when someone is eliminated we all laugh for what seems like an eternity. At first this concerned me because I thought the kids would feel left out, but I think they enjoyed laughing with one another over their plight. One thing is for sure, they were in it together.

One more observation from the past few days... even though they laugh hysterically at me when I try to speak Xhosa (amongst other things), they stick with it until I have learned the words they are trying to teach me (which is not easy for me). I've taken to carrying a small pad of paper and writing down each word (limit of 5 per day) so I can get it down and then when I do get it we laugh again... this time by way of rejoicing together! I pray that lesson sticks with me... laugh often and hard; and persevere together!

These past few days have been the calm before the storm, tomorrow the other 40 children will arrive back at the Academy. Tomorrow will also be the first day I will visit Sweet Home (township our church has adopted). So you can pray for...

• Preparation for teaching, discipleship, & coaching at the Academy
• Sweet Home, Sisanda (CHE leader), and all that the Lord is working there
• Wisdom as we try to market the Retreat Center for World Cup visitors
• Sleep, sleep, sleep!!!

Ndiya Kuthanda (I love you),

Heather

Just in case you are interested, here are my words for the day:

yizaniapha - come here (many people)

yizapha - come here (one person)

ukutya - food

esikolweni - school

haiybo - no

For those of you not on FB, here is a link to some pics from today. I took the kids to the pool at the Retreat Center which was a blast! Pictures

Upon Arrival

“…May your God whom you serve continually, rescue you! ~Daniel 6:16

I have arrived at Bridges of Hope Academy in Franschhoek, South Africa (just outside of Cape Town). It took my breath away to see the new school building on this beautiful property, knowing that this is a chance for “rescue” for 50 students who otherwise would likely not have an education or a safe place to live. It took my breath away because I’ve been here twice before, once before the school had even begun and once when the school was held in the existing bed & breakfast on the property… beautiful, but hard to manage a learning environment. God has provided Bridges of Hope, with the visionaries to dream this and the provision to build it.

Then… I walked into the building upon my arrival and wow, the hugs and smiles and joyful greetings! There are 12 students here while the others are back in their township for “Freedom Day” a national holiday. Today was my first full day here. After little sleep I met the kids at the school (I stay across the way at the retreat center) and played games with them and then tackled my fear of driving in South Africa as I drove kids into town to walk around (driving on the wrong side of the car & road… little left, big right!). I was blessed to be with them, to see how they look after one another, to hear their desires and goals for the future and to experience their sweet joy. I am certain that God has more to teach me, than I them in these next few months, I pray that I will wholeheartedly give of myself during my time here and that I would be open to receive all that God has for me.

Monkey Story: On the way back from town as I was intently focusing on driving an not killing us all, the kids start yelling with great excitement MONKEY, MONKEY, BIG MONKEY – it took me a bit to discern what they were saying through their accents (I guess I’m actually the one with the accent) then I pulled the car over right in time to see a big monkey head off into the hills – what a sight!

Well, it is 2:00 AM here and even thought I made myself stay up until midnight I can’t seem to sleep well, that is one thing you can pray for. Also pray for my time with these twelve and then the preparation to Teach, train, disciple and coach the kids and staff as they all return later this week. I will post some pictures in the next couple of days.

Many Blessings!

Heather

Why & Where

"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoner and those who are mistreated as if you yourself were suffering." Hebrews 13:3

What if your "prison" was a shanty town in South Africa (known as townships) with no educational facilities, sparse health care availability, no government assistance, no running water or electricity, over 70% unemployment, and worst of all a place where children are not guaranteed protection, in fact many become the prey of gangs or sexual predators. What if you were "mistreated" because of a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, your social circumstances or the color of your skin? Now... what if you were someone who is blessed beyond measure and has the time and resources to go and, God-willing, make at least a small impact in the lives of the "prisoners" and those who are "mistreated" in a small corner of the world in South Africa? That is the question I began to ask myself when I realized my current job was coming to an end. So I threw it out there to some friends (Dennis & Susan Wadley) who run Bridges of Hope and along with their staff they came up with a list of ways I could help the efforts of their organization.

On April 20th I will set out for South Africa (as well as a couple other African destinations) for about 2 months. Most of my time will be spent working at the Bridges of Hope Academy, a boarding school for Orphans and Vulnerable Children from the townships outside of Cape Town. I will be leading bible studies, teaching basic business and life skill classes, providing leadership training for the staff and coaching basketball - to name a few of my duties. When I am not working with the Academy I will be helping to develop a retreat center on the property and working with the CHE (Community Health Evangelism) program in the townships.

I've never blogged before, but I will try to keep this updated so those who are interested can follow my journey. I will also make a short trip to Namibia to connect with some friends from my first missionary trip to Africa and then Tanzania as well, where I will meet up with a Young Life group that will be serving in the town of Arusha (more to come on those fronts). Until then, please join me in praying through this journey:

• Safe and uneventful travel
• The children at Bridges of Hope Academy (faith, wisdom, joy, protection, hope, and that they will know they are cherished by a God that loves them)
• The Staff at Bridges of Hope (unity, joy, wisdom, blessing, provision)
• Me... that God would use me to encourage and strengthen the children and staff and a greater understanding of my purpose for God's glory.

In Christ,

Heather